Manually operable tool



Sept. 8, 1959 E. c. DUDEK MANUALLY OPERABLE TOOL Filed May 22, 1956 4&

li II 412 5 L fin/ 442 2 4120 17 206 255? Edmund c. Du de Unite 2,%2,773 MANUALLY oPnnABLE TooL Edmund C. Dudek, Evergreen Park, -Ill., assignor to Thisinvention relates to manually operable tools and particularly to such tools that maybe utilized in imparting rotary motion to painters implements such as brushes and paint rollers.

In Nash Patent No. 2,286,972 'there is disclosed a method of cleaning paint brushes in accordance with which the brushes are supported at the endof a rotating shaft by .a suitable clamping device and the shaft is rotated so that softened paint and dissolved paint ,are thrown outwardly from the bristles of the brush by the action of centrifugal force. This same general type of cleaning operation has been applied also to paint rollers by rotating the same rapidly about the longitudinal axis of the rollers. As disclosed in the aforesaid Nash patent the desired rotative movement is obtained through the use of a power means such as an electric motor, but the same general mode of cleaning has been accomplished through the use. of manually or crank operated tools.

It is to suchmanually operated tools thatthe present .invention is directed, and the primary invention of the ,present invention is to provide a manually operable tool of this character in which the handle by whichthe tool is grasped and held is coordinated as to .size and shape with the general mode of use of the tool so that the operation of the tool may be accomplished with a minimum of fatigue to the user. Other and more specific objects of. the present invention are to enable speed-increasing gearing to the embodiedin an advantageous manner in a tool of the aforesaid character, and to. accomplish is now considered to be the best mode in which to apply these principles. Other embodiments of the invention embodying thesameor equivalent principles may housed and structural changes may be made as desired bythose skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the tool of the present invention in use in cleaning apaintbrush;

Fig. 2 is a 'fragmental plan view of the tool at an enlarged scale;

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the tool withportionsof the. casing. broken away to show internal details;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along the line 4-4 01? Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view taken. substantially alongthe line 55 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is aplan section taken substantially alongthe .line 66- of Fig. 3; and

rates Patent Fig.7 is a fragmentary elevational view as viewed from the line 7--7 ofFig. 2. I I

For purposes of disclosure, the invention is herein illustrated as embodied in a manually operable tool 10 having a casing 11 that affords an elongated hollow handle 12 with a downwardly projecting central extension 13 from which an output shaft 14 extends, the shaft 14 being adapted to carry a tool holding device such as a brush clamp 15 whereby a paint brush B may be sup ported for rotation with the shaft 14, and such rotation is imparted to the shaft14 by a crank 16 carried on the handle 12 and driving the shaft 14 through speed multiplying gearing 17 housed within the handle 12. The brush clamp 15 is of the kind shown in Nash Patent No. 2,286,972, and the tool 10 may be used in conjunction with a receptacle such as the container C to clean paint brushes as described in the aforesaid Nash patent. It should also be noted that through the substitution of other devices on the output shaft 14-, the tool 10 may be employed for mixing paint, or for cleaning paint rollers by centrifugalextraction of softened or dissolved paint.

Under and in accordance with the present invention the tool 10 is so formed and arranged that the manual support and operation of the tool is simplified and rendered unusually convenient, and in accomplishing this the form and size of the housing are coordinated and related to the normal manner of use of the tool. Thus, the container C is normally rested on the floor, and the user vthe forearm extended downwardly and forwardly as in dicated in Fig. 1, the user may grasp the handle .12 .with

the thumb and the palmar surfaces of the base of the thumb engaging the generally flat upper face of the handle and with the fingers embracing the rounded lower surfaces of the handle, the extension 13 being disposed between the middle and ring fingers, as shown.

The handle 12 and the extension 13 are shown in actual size in Figs. 2 to 7, and when so constructed the end portions of the users fingers extend upwardly for a short distance on the other side of the handle .12 so that. a firm grip is aflorded. The user then grasps the handle 16H of the crank 16 with the other hand and by turning the crank 16, the desired rotation is imparted to the brush B.

The advantageous form andrelation that is thus provided forthe casing 11 is, under the present invention, attained in such a way that an adequate speed-multiplying ratio. may be attained in the gearing 17 housedwithin the limited space available within the handle 12, and in addition, the manufacture and assembly of the required .parts maybe attained within-reasonable cost limitations. .Thus, the casing 11 is formed in two separable sections 11M and 11C separable primarily in a central plane P, Figs. 4 and 5, such sections being molded in the present instance from a relatively rigid plastic such as nylon.

The handle portions of the two sections 11M- and are formed with side walls 112M and'112C, top wall portions will be evident in Figs. 2, 4 and 6. Thus, the main casing section 11M has a downward extension 13M that in cludes a bearing sleeve 1138 the axis of which lies in the plane P, and outwardly of the sleeve .1135 the extension 13M has segments 213M which taper slightly downwardly .andprovide a part of an annular surface to be embraced by a holding sleeve 20, as will be described. The casing section 13C has a downwardly tapered extension 2130 formed thereon to embrace or cover the projecting part .of the bearing sleeve 1135, and the edges of the extension 213C meet the adjacent edges of the segments 213M in lthe plane P, as shown in Fig. 6. When the casing sections are assembled, the extensions 213M and 213C are held together by the correspondingly tapered ferrule 20 pinion 23 fixed thereon. The gear 23 is preferably made of a plastic such as nylon, and the hub 23H of the pinion 23 bears through a pair of washers 24 on the upper end of the sleeve 1135, and it will be observed that the upper end of the sleeve 1138 is disposed downwardly a considerable distance within the extension 13, thus to locate the pinion 23 at a relatively low level in the hollow handle 12. Beneath the lower end of the bearing sleeve 1138 a pair of washers 25 are supported on the shaft 14 by an unthreaded nut-like member 26 that is secured by a cross pin 27 on an unthreaded part of theshaft 14.

The shaft 14 is located midway between the ends of the handle 12, and is thus aligned with the slot 412M, and this slot is of such a width and depth that the shaft 14 and the bevel pinion 23 may be mounted in the sleeve 1138 by a downward inserting movement in the course of which the bevel pinion 23 passes through the clearance afforded by the slot 412M.

The gearing 17 also includes a gear cluster 28 which is also made from a plastic such as nylon and comprises a spur pinion 28F and a relatively large bevel gear 28B, the bevel gear 28B being meshed at its lower edge with the bevel pinion 23 and the cluster 28 has a central or axial bearing sleeve 285 through which a supporting pin 29 extends so that its opposite ends are disposed in aligned bearing sockets 31M and 31C formed by hubs on the inside surfaces respective casing sections 11M and 11C. The shaft 29 is, of course, disposed normal to the plane P and in intersecting relation to the axis of the shaft 14, and the bevel gear is of such a diameter as to utilize substantially the entire vertical space that is available within the hollow handle 12. In assembling the tool, the gear cluster 28 is put in position opposite the socket 31M and properly meshed with the bevel pinion 23, and the pin 29 is then inserted through the sleeve 28S and into the socket 31M with which the pin has a snug engagement so that the pin is frictionally held in position and against rotation. The other socket is engaged with the other end of the pin 29 when the cover section 11C is put in place, and it will be noted that spacer washers 29W are used about the pin between the pinion 28F and the socket 31C. 7

The crank 16 is connected to a gear 33 that forms part of the gearing 17 and is coaxial with the rotative axis of the crank. The gear 33 is preferably made from a plastic such as nylon and is meshed with the pinion 28?. The gear 33 has a projecting axial bearing pin 34 that is made from metal in the present instance and which rotatively engages and is supported at its end by a socket 35M formed as a hub on the internal surface of the wall 11 2M, while on its opposite side the gear 33 has an enlarged integrally formed crank shaft 36 projecting axially therefrom. The crank shaft 36 projects rotatably through a complemental bearing sleeve 37 that is formed as a hub 4 on the inner surface of the wall 112C, such sleeve of course opening through the wall 112C so that the end of the input or crank shaft 36 may project outwardly beyond this wall. On its projecting portion the shaft 36 has a flat surface 36F formed thereon so that a non-circular or D-shaped cross section is provided on the projecting portion. The crank 16 has a mounting hub 168 formed on its mounting end and this hub has a socket 16R therein that is complemental to the shaft end. The hub is placed in position on the shaft end, and is secured in place by a screw 378 that has its head in a counterbore in the hub 16S and which is threaded axially into a pre-bored opening 3613 in the shaft 36.

At their upper corners the sections of the handle 12 are held together by bolts 38 and nuts 38N, the bolts passing through aligned sleeves 41M and 41C that are formed internally of the handle sections as shown in Fig. 4, and which engage each other at the plane P so that the screws 38 and nuts 38N may be effectually tightened despite inherent resilience of the casing parts.

In assuring proper alignment of the casing sections 11M and 11C, interacting positioning faces are provided on the two sections so as to prevent displacement of the sections parallel to the plane of separation of the sections. Thus, the lower corners of the handle portion of the cover section 11C are formed with right angularly related surfaces 41H and 41V that are perpendicular to the separating plane P, as will be evident in Fig. 7 of the drawings, and the other or main section 11M has locating lugs or pins 43 and 44 formed thereon so as to project for a short distance beyond the plane P, as shown in Fig. 5, so that the right angularly related side surfaces of the pins 43 and 44 may snugly engage the locating surfaces 41H and 41V.

The locating action of the pins 43 and 44 and the related locating surfaces 41H and 41V is attained in cooperation with the interengagement of the tongue 412C with the surfaces of the slot 412M at the upper central portion of the handle 12. It will be noted in Figs. 2 and 4 that the tongue 412C engages the sides of the slot to prevent horizontal movement relative to the casing section 11M, and the extreme end of the tongue 412C engages the top surface of the side wall 112M. The several locating surfaces thus cooperate in positioning the two sections with respect to each other, and are, of course, advantageous in the assembly of the tool, and in addition, may be utilized in the design and construction of the necessary dies and tooling to assure accurate interrelationship of the parts of the tool.

With the structure that is thus provided it will be evident that the user may readily and easily grasp the handle in the manner shown in Fig. 1, and may grip the handle in a way that facilitates positioning of the tool during a brush-cleaning or like operation. When the handle is so gripped the ends of the fingers of course extend about the handle and upwardly for a short distance along the wall 112C, but the ends of the fingers are in no danger from the rotating crank 16 because the mounting hub 168 is relatively long in an axial direction so that the radial portion of the handle is spaced a considerable distance away from the adjacent face of the handle.

With the structure that has been described hereinabove it will be apparent that the parts may be made and assembled readily and at a low cost, and also it will be evident that since the parts are made primarily from what may be termed a self-lubricating plastic, the drive train embodied in the tool requires no lubrication.

Thus while the present application illustrates and describes the invention in a particular embodiment, it will be recognized that changes and variations may be made within the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a manually operable device of the character described, a casing comprising mated main and cover sections defining an elongated hollow handle adapted to be grasped in the hand of a user and having a downwardly projecting mounting extension disposed at right angles to arable primarily in a plane including the central axes of said handle and said extension, said main section having a bearing sleeve formed as a part of and on the axis of said extension and projecting laterally beyond said plane, and said cover section having a sleeve-like part forming part of said extension and adapted to embrace the laterally projecting portion of said bearing sleeve, said sections having mated top, end, side and bottom walls defining said hollow handle, said top wall of said main section having an enlarged slot therein in line with and larger than said bearing sleeve and said top wall of said cover section having a projecting tongue thereon complemental to and adapted to close said slot when the sections are assembled, an output shaft disposed in said heating sleeve and having a bevel pinion on its upper end within said handle, a bevel gear and pinion cluster disposed in said handle with the bevel gear of the cluster meshed with said bevel pinion, said cluster having a supporting pin extended axially therethrough and said side walls of said handle having aligned sockets formed on their inner faces to support said pin at right angles and in intersecting relation to the axis of said output shaft, a drive gear disposed in said handle in mesh with said pinion of said cluster, one of said side walls having an internal socket and the other having an aligned bearing opening therein, a bearing pin on said gear engaging said socket and a crank shaft on said gear extending through said opening, a crank on said crank shaft, means securing said handle together, and a tapered sleeve surrounding the mated parts of said extension to hold the same together.

2. In a manually operable device of the character described, a casing comprising mated main and cover sections defining an elongated hollow handle adapted to be grasped in the hand of a user and having a downwardly projecting mounting extension including a hearing sleeve disposed at right angles to the length of said handle and substantially midway between the ends of the handle, said sections being separable primarily in a plane including the central axes of said handle and said extension, said sections having mated top, end, side and bottom walls defining said hollow handle, said top wall of said main section having an enlarged slot therein in line with and larger than said bearing sleeve and said top wall of said cover section having a projecting tongue thereon complemental to and adapted to close said slot when the sections are assembled, an output shaft disposed in said bearing sleeve and having a bevel pinion on its upper end Within said handle, a bevel gear and pinion cluster disposed in said handle with the bevel gear of the cluster meshed with said bevel pinion, said cluster having a supporting pin extended axially therethrough and said side walls of said handle having aligned sockets formed on their inner faces to support said pin at right angles and in intersecting relation to the axis of said output shaft, a drive gear disposed in said handle in mesh with said pinion of said cluster, one of said side walls having an internal socket and the other having an aligned bearing opening therein, a bearing pin on said gear engaging said socket and a crank shaft on said gear extending through said opening, a crank on said crank shaft, means securing said handle together, and a tapered sleeve surrounding the mated parts of said extension to hold the same together.

3. In a manually operable device of the character described, a casing comprising mated main and cover sections defining an elongated hollow handle adapted to be grasped in the hand of a user and having a downwardly projecting mounting extension including a bearing sleeve disposed at right angles to the length of said handle and substantially midway between the ends of the handle, said'sections being separable primarily in 'a .plane including the central axes of said handle and said extension, said sections having matedtop, end, side andbottom walls defining said hollow handle, said top vwall of said-main section having an enlarged slot therein vin line with and larger than said bearing sleeve and said top wall of said cover section having a projecting tongue thereon complemental to and adapted to close said slot when the sections are assembled, an output shaft disposed in said bearing sleeve and having a bevelpinion on its upper end within said handle, avbevel gear and pinion cluster disposed in said'handle with the bevel gear of the cluster meshed with said bevel pinion, said cluster having a supporting pin extended axially.therethrough and said side walls of said handle having aligned sockets formed on their inner faces to support said pin at right angles and in intersecting relation to the axis of said output shaft, a drive gear disposed in said handle in mesh with said pinion of said cluster, one of said side walls having an internal socket and the other having an aligned bearing opening therein, a bearing pin on said gear engaging said socket and a crank shaft on said gear extending through said opening, a crank on said crank shaft, means securing said handle together, and an annular member surrounding the mated parts of said extension to hold the same together.

4. In a manually operable device of the character described, a casing comprising mated main and cover sections defining an elongated hollow handle adapted to be grasped in the hand of a user and having a downwardly projecting mounting extension disposed at right angles to the length of said handle and substantially midway between the ends of the handle, said sections being separable primarily in a plane including the central axes of said handle and said extension, said main section having a bearing sleeve formed as a part of and on the axis of said extension and projecting laterally beyond said plane, and said cover section having a sleeve-like part forming part of said extension and adapted to embrace the laterally projecting portion of said bearing sleeve, said sections having mated top, end, side and bottom walls defining said hollow handle, and output shaft disposed in said bearing sleeve and having a bevel pinion on its upper end within said handle, a bevel gear and pinion cluster disposed in said handle with the bevel gear of the cluster meshed with said bevel pinion, said cluster having a supporting pin extended axially therethrough and said side walls of said handle having aligned sockets formed on their inner faces to support said pin at right angles and in intersecting relation to the axis of said output shaft, a drive gear disposed in said handle in mesh with said pinion of said cluster, one of said side walls having an internal socket and the other having an aligned bearing opening therein, a bearing pin on said gear engaging said socket and a crank shaft on said gear extending through said opening, a crank on said crank shaft, means securing said handle together, and an annular member surrounding the mated parts of said extension to hold the same together.

5. In a manually operable device of the character described, a casing comprising mated main and cover sections defining an elongated hollow handle adapted to be grasped in the hand of a user and having a down wardly projecting mounting extension disposed at right angles to the length of said handle and substantially midway between the ends of the handle, said sections being separable primarily in a plane including the central axes of said handle and said extension, said main section having a bearing sleeve formed as a part of and on the axis of said extension and projecting laterally beyond said plane, and said cover section having a sleevelike part forming part of said extension and adapted to embrace the laterally projecting portion of said bearing sleeve, said sections having mated top, end, side and bottom walls defining said hollow handle, said top wall of said main section having an enlarged slot therein in line with and larger than said bearing sleeve, and said top Wall of said cover section having a projecting tongue thereon complemental to and adapted to cooperate with said slot to position said sections relative to each other 5 and to close said slot when the sections are assembled, an output shaft disposed in said bearing sleeve and having a bevel pinion on its upper end within saidthandle, a power input shaft mounted in said housing perpendicular to said output shaft and having one end projecting through a side Wall of said handle, an operating crank on said one end of said input shaft, gearing in said handle supported by the side Walls and drivingly connecting said input shaft to said bevel gear, locating pins on said main section projecting beyond said plane and cooperating surfaces Within said cover for engagement by said pins, and means securing said casingsections together.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS p Nash June 16, 1942 2,286,972 2,542,491 Engel Feb. 20, 1951 10'- 2,565,723 Euler et al. Aug. 28, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Australia May 23, 1949 

